Mueller investigates Mike Flynn and son's alleged plan to kidnap cleric from US and deliver him to Turkey for $15 million

Mark Frauenfelder

3 months ago

The Wall Street Journal reports that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is looking into allegations that former White House National Security Adviser Mike Flynn and his #pizzagate-promulgating son Michael Flynn Jr. were planning to kidnap a Muslim cleric living in the U.S. and take him to Turkey in exchange for $15 million dollars. The FBI is investigating a meeting that took place in mid-December in New York City where "Mr. Flynn and representatives of the Turkish government discussed removing [Fethullah] Gulen, according to people with knowledge of the FBI’s inquiries." At the time of the meeting, Trump had already selected Flynn as national security adviser.

The alleged plan was launched at a September 19 meeting, "where Turkish officials first raised the possibility of forcibly removing Mr. Gulen."

From The Wall Street Journal:

That September meeting, held in a hotel room and attended by former CIA Director James Woolsey, was reported earlier by the Journal. Mr. Gulen’s removal was discussed as “a covert step in the dead of night to whisk this guy away,” according to Mr. Woolsey, who said he attended the meeting at the request of one of Mr. Flynn’s business associates.

Also present at the September meeting were Mr. Erdogan’s son-in-law and Turkey’s foreign minister, foreign-lobbying disclosure documents show. The Turkish Embassy has previously acknowledged that Turkish officials met with Mr. Flynn but declined to discuss the conversation.

A White House spokesman deferred all questions to a spokesman for the Trump transition process. “We don’t have any evidence that such a meeting took place,” that spokesman said, referring to the December meeting. “And if it did take place it happened not withstanding the transition.”